Fr. Ken's Pastoral Care

Parable of two sons Readings: Ezekiel 18: 25-28; Psalm 25; Philippians 2:1-11 and Matthew 21:28-32.  THE BROKEN VOW AND FREQUENT FALL The liturgy of today reminds us of the various vows and commitments we made before God and his people as witnesses. As clerics and religious, we made vow of obedience, to our legitimate superiors and bishops, the vows of chastity and of poverty. To couples, before the Alter and the people of God, you promised “I WILL” or “I Do” during matrimonial rite. How ‘far’ about your promises? Have you forgotten you made such promises or you are acting on disobedience? At baptism, we promise obedience to God and the teachings of the Church. Are these vows and promises we made still intact or they are all broken? Do we seek reasons to justify our disobedience to God? Once again, let us ponder on today’s readings.   In the first reading, a picture of justice and mercy of God is presented to us through the prophet Ezekiel. God reminds the people of Israel...

Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145; Philippians 1:20-24. 27 and Matthew 20:1-16.  THE DISTANCE BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH   There are times in life we desire to receive preferential treatment because we had probably contributed more to a given group and so, in our way of thinking, we deserve a remarkable reward. The liturgy of today calls us to reflect on the unimaginable WAYS AND LOVE OF GOD. Have we in anyway, tried to subject God to human form that he does things in our own way? Do we place ourselves as superior over others, or better than others that we merit more reward than them? In God’s vineyard, he treats each one equally, and in his conception of justice, everyone is entitled to his unconditional love and generosity. What matters is our response to his invitation.   In the first reading, we see God’s invitation through the prophet Isaiah to, “ Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked man FORSAKE HIS WAY, and the u...

Readings: Sirach 27:30-28:7; Psalm 103; Romans 14:7-9 and Matthew 18:21-35.  FORGIVENESS BRINGS HEALING.    Recently, there was a video of a mother and son that went viral, a little boy teaching his mother on how to control her anger, saying to her, “ Mummy, just be calming down. ” Reflecting on the readings of today, the voice of this little boy echoes again as two important things strikes my attention: anger and forgiveness . How well have we been able to manage our anger and how often do we forgive? Are we tired of forgiving and can't forgive anymore? To some of us, little things triggers our anger and it affects the rest of our day. It could be personal problems, such as difficulties in relationship or missing a promotion at work. It could be problems caused by others such as family members or friends, cancelling plans of meetings or a heavy traffic can also provoke our anger. Hence, do we allow our anger to leave us with grudge and bitterness, which eventually re...

Watchman over the City Readings: Ezekiel 33:7-9; Psalm 95; Romans 13:8-10 and Matthew 18:15-20.  HOW LONG WILL THE WATCHMAN REMAIN SILENT?    There are so much grumbling in the society, some persons are suffering and smiling. Our people are dying in starvation, corruption, injustice, insecurity and so many other vices that brings pains and sadness to us, yet it seems no one is confronting these issues. If the voice of the poor masses is not loud enough, what about our leaders, specifically the religious leaders? Why are we so silent about the atrocities in the society? It seems we are so comfortable and have ceased to talk, or probably, we don’t want to be scapegoat and so we have become afraid to speak when we ought to and prefer we all die in silence. The liturgy of today reminds us of who we are, we are watchmen placed over the city. We are to identify evils or wrong doings and give corrective measures with love and with the aim of reconciling the offender with God...